Too Late
by Maddiecake
Summary: Ponyboy has the chance to bring back both Johnny, and Sodapop. With the help of an angel, he travels around attempting to bring them back to life.


_I... absolutely hate what this fandom is becoming, but if I don't do this now, I never will. If this offends you, by all means, don't whine to me about it, I already know it can be potentially offensive. Nothing in here belongs to me except the angel._

The twenty year old shielded his eyes from the light, wanting to look away for fear of disabling his sight but unable to break the stare. All it was was light, nothing inside it from what he could tell (not that he could see past the blinding glow), but it was almost comforting, in a way.

In his head, a choir erupted into the Hallelujah Chorus as Bible verses from long ago resurfaced for the first time since he had heard them. All of this, and for all he knew, he could be standing under a meteor.

_Meteors... right._

"Hark," called a voice, deep, definitely male, although the speaker still couldn't be seen through the light. "I bring you wonderful news."

For a moment, he wondered if there had been anything special in the cigarette he had tossed away upon first seeing the light. He wasn't an expert on spontaneous light-appearances, but he was sure they didn't talk.

Being the only one in the vicinity (meaning the area behind the apartment in which he resided—everyone else was going to the big parties on campus), he chose to answer in the most eloquent, intelligent way possible. "Uh... yeah?"

The light dimmed a bit, revealing what had to be the most beautiful man he had ever beheld in his life. Surprisingly, he didn't feel quite as awkward as he thought he would when claiming that a man was beautiful. In this sense, it worked.

The man's hair was white-blonde, a Beatles cut, and his eyes were a brilliant shade of blue. Everything about the man was light, save for the black wings on his back, which contrasted with the entire image, but Ponyboy didn't necessarily register that.

"Your friend, Jonathan Cade, is in grave danger," the angel professed, floating so his feet barely skimmed the ground.

All of Ponyboy's awe vanished in that instant. "I already _knew_ that."

The angle blanched, if such a thing was possible for someone who's skin was already so pale, and looked around nervously. "R-Really? How'd uh... how'd the danger thing work out?"

"He died," Ponyboy said dryly, leaning against the wall and lighting another cigarette. "Six years ago."

"... he _died_?" The angel looked horrified.

"Mhm."

"Fuck. God's gonna kill me," he mumbled, hanging his head. "It's just... Cupid had a card game going and he knows I _love_ cards but... guess time just went by so quickly..."

Ponyboy stared incredulously at the angel. "Six _years_ of _cards_?! Wasn't your _mission_ more important?"

"Yeah, but... I like cards," he mumbled sadly. "They had hearts."

"_Every_ deck of cards has hearts," Ponyboy responded bitterly, more than a little peeved that the angel hadn't come at the right time. "Look, not that it's not fun talking to an angel, but if you just came to tell me that Johnny's in 'danger', you better leave."

The angel looked, for the briefest of moments, like he might cry, and then took a deep breath. "Nuh-uh. I'm gonna help you bring Johnny _back_. And your brother... ol' whats-his-face. Orange Juice."

"Sodapop."

"I don't drink carbonated drinks. They give me stomach aches."

Ponyboy began to wonder if speaking to the angel in the first place had been a bad idea. He seemed like a nice enough person, but he obviously wasn't the brightest halo in the bunch. "No, his _name_ is Sodapop."

"... just don't buy me any. We'll be fine."

There was quiet for a moment, then Ponyboy spoke up. "How're we going to get Johnny and Soda back?"

For just a few seconds the angel looked as if he had an idea, and Ponyboy began to feel his faith in the creature restoring, until a crestfallen expression appeared, and the hope vanished instantly. "I dunno, it just happens."

"It just _happens_?"

"Yeah. Except you travel around and stuff, first. Let's start with getting the body, alright?"

The idea of digging up what could only be his decomposed friend and brother (the latter he had never seen the full extent of the damage and was sure he didn't want to) to cart them around on a journey disgusted Ponyboy. "Why don't you just magic them here?"

At this, the angel laughed. "Silly, only _Jesus_ can do that. Now get a shovel, and let's do some grave robbing."


End file.
